Petro clerico, Ad. et Hug. de Dutton, Liulpho vice com., Alex. fil. Radi, Bertramo camerario, Joscerano de Hellesby, et multis alijs, apud Cestriam.

X. Carta Ranulphi comitis de deforestatione* infra diuisas de Staneya.

MNIBUS Cristi fidelib3 ad quos presens scriptu puenerit Ran. comes Cestrie salute. Nouerit uniuersitas vestra quod ego p salute anime mee et omiu antecessoru meoru et successoru et dilecti mei Rogeri de Lascy constab. Cestrie deforestaui Abbathia de Stanl. et grāgiam de Staneya que est de feodo predicti Rogeri constab: Cestrie cu omib3 ptinentijs suis p certas diuisas suas. Et sint omnino liberi et quieti de omib3 causationib3, querelis et placitis et seruicijs ad forestā ptinētib3 in purā et ppetuā elemosynā. Hijs testib3 Rado Abbe de Pulton, Guyd priore de Suthewyk, Pho de Orreby, Henr. de Audyel, Hug. Dispens, Thom. fratre suo, Hug. de Dutton, Gaufro fratre suo, Hug. de Mascy et alijs.

XI. Carta Ranulphi comitis Cestrie de bestijs siluestribz inuentis in terris nostris.

MNIBUS sancte matris ecclesie filijs ad quos presens pagina puenerit Ran. comes Cestrie salutē. Notu sit vobis me dedisse et hac carta mea confirmasse Deo et beate Marie

* This is a strong instance of the regal power exercised by the earls of Chester within the Palatinate. Randle Meschines, third earl of Chester, created the forest, and his successor disafforested this portion. Both were acts of royal supremacy. "As it hath beene alwaies holden for a general opinion amongst the learned in the Lawes of this realme that the King onely may make a forest in all woods or places

et monachis de Stanlawe quietātia de bestijs siluestrib3 occisis vel attinctis in terra ipsoru monachoru portad. usq. ad Cestria, et quod dicti monachi et eoru homines no incausentur ppter aliquam bestiam aliquo casu mortua et inuentā in terra eoru nisi fuerit aliquis Secreber* qui de hoc loqui voluerit aduersus dictos monachos aut eorū homines. Et quod sint quieti de seruientib3 et forestarijs. Hijs testib3 Rogō constab. Cestrie, War. de Vernon, Hamõe de Mascy, Pho de Orreby, Willo de Venables, Rico de Aldeford, Ada et Hugōe de Dutton, Petro Clerico, Thom. Dispensar, Colino de quatuor maris, Rado de Mountfichet, Galf. de Dutton, Ad. de Bury, et multis alijs, apud Frodesham.

R

XII. Carta Ranulphi Comitis de xx. solidis.

ANULPHUS comes Cestrie, Cōstab. suo et dapifero
Justic. vicecomiti, baronib3 et balliuis suis et omib3 hominibz
et amicis suis salutē. Sciatis me
Dei amore et p salute

Р

wheresoeuer hee may appoint, so likewise it is as generall an opinion of the contrarie part that no other person can make a forest but the King onely, and such as are especially authorized by him so to doe, because the King hath that Soueraigntie and royall prerogatiue reserued to himself onely."- Manwood.

* Sakerborh is as a pledge to sue, one that puts in surety for another. - Spelm. Glossary. It occurs in the grant of Randle de Blundeville to his barons of Cheshire, "scil. quod unusquisque eorum curiam suam habeat liberam de omnibus placitis et querelis in curia mea motis, exceptis placitis ad gladium meum pertinentibus; et quod si quis hominum suorum pro aliquo delicto captus fuerit per dominium suum sine redemptione replegietur ita quod dominus suus eum perducat ad tres comitatus et eum quietum reducat nisi sacraber sequatur." The grant itself owes its importance to the stringent enactments of the forest laws. According to Manwood the law was, that "if any deere be found dead or wounded, there shalbe an inquisition made by foure of the next villages to the forest, which shalbe written in the roll, the finder shalbe put by vj. pledges, and the flesh shalbe sent to a spittle house if there bee any nigh." The effect of the grant appears to be, that no monk or servant of the Abbey should be molested in such a case, unless the complainer gave security to substantiate his accusation. Most probably this would operate as a complete prohibition of such complaints.

anime mee et animaru antecessorū meorū et successorū meorū cōcessisse et dedisse et presenti carta mea cōfirmasse Deo et beate Marie et Abbathie de Stanl. et monachis ibidem Deo seruiētib3 in purā et ppetua elemosyna xx solidos añuos in vicecomitatu meo de Cestria sine dilatione vel retenemēto, pcipiend vigil. Natalis dñi p. manu vicecomitis mei, quicüq. sit vicecomes, nullo alio precepto inde expectato, quousq. eis alibi melius puiderim in terra vel in alio beneficio. Hac autē elemosynā warātizabimus ego et heredes mei imppetuu predicte abbathie et monachis. Hijs testib3 Rogō de Lascy constab. Cestrie, Pho de Orreby Justic. Cestrie, Hug. et Henr. Dispens., Petro clico de Cestrie, Hug. et Galfr. de Dutton, Rogō et Willo de Menilwarin, Joscerano de Hellesby, Rico de Kyngesl. et multis alijs.

XIII. Carta Rici Couentrensis Episcopi de fundatione domus de Stanlawe.

R

ICARDUS* dei gratia Couētr. episcopus omib3 sancte matris ecclesie filijs tam presentib3 quam futuris salutē. Uniuersitati vestre notu esse volumus nos cōcessisse et ratā habuisse donationem qua dilectus filius noster Johes Constab. Cestrie fecit Deo et sancte Marie et Robto Abbati de Stanl. et eiusdm Loci conuētui sup. Loco qui dicitur Stanl. ad faciend. et edificād. ibidem abbathiā suā, et sup villa que vocatur Staneya, et domū in villa Cestrie iuxta ecclesia sancti Michaelis. Et quam hac donationem imppetuū esse valituram volumus, nos eā presēti carta cōfirmamus iuxta tenore carte memorati Johis qua sup ead cōcessionē et donatione vidimus et legimus. Testib3 Rogō Archido Salop, Willo decano

* Richard Peche, bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, succeeded to the bishopric A.D. 1162, and died 1182.

Lich. ecclesie, Robto archido Cestrie, Augustino canonico de Hathemon, magro Robto de Haya, magro Terico, magro Walto de Tillesbur, Nigello capello, clericis nostris, Galfr. peet. dapif. nostro, Walto camerario, Petro camerario, seruiētib3 nostris, et multis alijs. Valete.

XIV. Confirmatio Ricardi Couentrensis episcopi de Stanlawe et Staneye et terris.

R

ICARDUS dei gratia Couentr. episcopus uniuersis sacrosancte matris ecclesie filijs tam presētib3 quam futuris in dño salute. Rationis et pietatis desiderat modus ut que sacris et religiosis locis in ppetua elemosyna collata sūt, diocesani episcopi testimonio et auctoritate corroboretur. Inde est quod nos caritatis zelo puocati, tam presentis scripti auctoritate quam sigilli nostri attestatione cofirmamus Deo et sancte Marie et Abbati atq. monachis de Stanl. ipsum locu de Stanlawe, que locu, mutato nomine, Benedictum locu vocamus, ea que dilectus filius noster Johes constab. Cestrie memoratis fratrib3 in pura liberam et ppetua elemosyna dedit et carta sua quã audiuimus et vidimus cöfirmauit, sc. villa que vocatur Staneya, et alteram villa que vocatur Mauriches Eston cu omibz ptinētijs earu in bosco, in plano, in pratis, in pascuis, in vijs, in semitis, in aquis, in piscarijs, in mariscis, in molēdinis, et in omib3 alijs aisiamētis suis liberas et quietas ab omi terreno seruicio et seculari exactione. Et preterea quietātia thelonei in emptione et vēditione omiū rerū suarū p totā terrā suā et quietātiā thelonei de pprio blado suo in molēdinis suis. Necnō et mesuagiū unū in villa Cestrie iuxta ecclesiam sancti Michaelis cu omib3 edificijs et libertatib3 suis. Ad hec autē nos presentiū literaru testimonio cōfirmamus tam dictis fratrib3 Loci Benedicti omem libertate quam Hugo comes Cestrie eis fecit et carta sua quã inspeximus cōfirmauit videlt ome seruiciù quod

ad predictas villas siue ad mesuagiū prenominatū ptinet p salute anime mee et omiu antecessoru et heredū suorū imppetuū remisit. Hijs testib3 Johe Abbe de Cubermere, Robto mocho de Cuberm, Augustino capello, Magro Robto de Haya, magro Walto de Tilebur, Manafero, Andrea camerar. et alijs multis.

XV. Confirmatio Baldwini* Cantuariensis Archiepiscopi de hijs que Johes Constabularius Cestrie dedit domui de Stanlawe.

B.

Dei gratia Cantuar. Archiepiscopus Anglie primas et Apostolice sedis legatus, uniuersis sancte matris ecclesie filijs ad quos presentes litere puenerint eterna in dño salutē. Ad uniuersitatis vestre notitiam volumus puenire dilectos filios nostros fratres de Stanl. scriptu bone memorie Ricardi Couentr. episcopi in hec verba presentasse. Ricardus dei gratia Couentr. &c. ut supra ex alia parte usq. ad illud verbu, Andr. camerar. et alijs multis. Ad hec preter illas libertates et beneficia que memoratus Episcopus suo scripto comprehēdit et exprimit alias libertates et beneficia sepedictis fratrib3 de Loco Benedicto a memoratis Comite et Johe Constab. Cestrie sicut ex autēticis eoru scriptis deprehedimus sut collata, que pprijs vocabulis duximus exprimēda a comite, videl. quietātiam de theloneo in villa Cestrie que ijdem fratres ad opus pprie domus sue de Stanl. emerint, a Johē autem Constab. Cestrie decima salis sui de Norwyco siue in denario siue in sale. Ita quidem quod si prefati monachi sal habere maluerint p duob3 denarijs et obolo sumā salis semper habebunt. Ut igitur cōcessiones et donationes que memoratis monachis de Stanl. super iam dictis beneficijs et libertatib3 a prefatis Comite et Johe Constab. Cestrie intuitu caritatis facte sut firmā

* Baldwin, the first archbishop of Canterbury of the Cistercian order, was translated from the see of Worcester 19th May, 1185, and died A.D. 1191.